Saturday, October 26, 2013

Dear Friends,
I have been working on some new ventures and find I need more time than I have in a day. So with regrets, I am going to take some time off from posting to try to catch up and put in the extra effort I need to do.
Thank you for being loyal readers and hopefully I'll be back before too long.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am. During the busy season, I rarely take the time to just stop and let it all sink in. I get to do what I love for a living and I do it surrounded by a loving group of friends, a great community and in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
One of those close friends is leaving for the winter, not to return until the spring, breezing in with the Red-Winged Blackbirds and the first wave of tourists. So three of us got together to enjoy one last meal together before she takes flight on Monday. We have been friends for almost 18 years, since Susan and I first moved to this little island. I couldn't ask for anyone better.

The bistro sits on the edge of the sea, and while a gentle wind tossled our words back and forth, we watched a moonrise over the waves behind the swaying sea oats. We shared a glass, or maybe two, of wine and listened to some tunes from a talented musician from Nashville. Our laughter mixed with the tables nearby, everyone enjoying the beauty of the moment with no worries about yesterday or tomorrow, simple the best of the present moment.
We stayed until the moon became nestled in the night clouds. Marie and I made plans for next week but there was a gaping hole where Susan would have been. I am so grateful for nights like these and must remember to enjoy more of them. And thanks to both Susan and Marie for taking these pics.

So goodbye my friend. If the fates remain in our favor, we'll see each other in the spring.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Well, my company is due in but I couldn't resist a little post. I spied this Carolina Mantis on the window screen so I took a quick pic of him. This is the first one I have seen all year and I welcomed him back to The Crooked Little House. He was a good size and bright-eyed, watching me closely. No sooner had I put the camera away, a male Cardinal flew up to the screen and snatched the mantis away. C'est la vie! Till next week.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

It used to be that once you crossed the bridge to the mainland you were treated to visions of vast fields of cotton dotting the roadsides. If you traveled at just the right time in the fall, the cotton balls would be perched like still white doves on maroon stalks just waiting to be plucked. Grapevine tendrils now twine where the cotton fields used to grow; small vineyards claiming the land with a more profitable and trendy product. But further out on the mainland, cotton fields still spread along the highways and back roads.

Rising at 4:30 am yesterday morning, I made my last minute preparations for the day's show in Hertford, NC, a gorgeous little hamlet just past Elizabeth City. On the road by 6 o'clock, we were blinded by a heavy coastal fog, but as the sun pulled itself out of the east, the cotton that hadn't been harvested glowed through the leftover pockets of fog blanketing the fields. These photos are not the best and for that, I apologize, but it was the crack of dawn after all and I was in a moving vehicle having only had one cup of coffee. Many of you know I am NOT a morning person. These fields had already been "picked", not by human hands anymore but by gigantic roving beasts of steel. But you can still see the leftovers, those chunks of softness that saved themselves by growing near the edge of the field.

We crossed the bridge into Hertford, becoming part of a postcard image complete with a small boat and its passenger looking for his own "harvest" of a few fish for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

I will be spending this week washing my cotton sheets and sweeping Buddha hair from the corners in preparation for a much anticipated visit with my son and his wife and members of her family who are coming to The Crooked Little House for a three day vacation. They too will be driving by the cotton fields. So forgive me for taking next weekend off from blogging. I'll be back the following weekend.

"If there were no dust, housekeeping would be an art form." John Thorne

About Me

My life is intricately entwined with nature; learning gratitude for a wren's song, patience waiting for a snake to cross the road and compassion for a wasp that has drowned in the birdbath.
I paint what I know best, and my favorite subjects are those that make their home at The Crooked Little House or wander the marshes and beaches on my barrier island.
All artwork is protected by copyright so please, do not reproduce anything from this site without permission. Contact me at: ofcorsa3@gmail.com
Follow me here: facebook.com/emcorsa
and visit my Etsy shop here: etsy.com/shop/EMCorsaArtShop